Has My Love Shrunk Making Me An Average Christian?

And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold”

Matthew 24:12

After a speech, pro-life activist Penny Lea was approached by an old man.  Weeping, he told her that he had lived in Germany during the Nazi holocaust.  The entire town had heard the stories of what was happening to the Jews, but like most people today in this country, they tried to distance themselves from the reality of what was really taking place.  What could anyone do to stop it?  A railroad track ran behind their small church.  One Sunday morning, they became disturbed when they noticed cries for help coming from the train as it passed by.  They grimly realized that the train was carrying Jews.  He then said, “It was so terribly disturbing!  We could do nothing to help these poor miserable people, yet their screams tormented us.  We knew exactly at what time that whistle would blow, and we decided the only way to keep from being so disturbed by the cries was to start singing our hymns.  By the time that train came rumbling past the church yard, we were singing at the top of our voices.  If some of the screams reached our ears, we'd just sing a little louder until we could hear them no more.  Years have passed and no one talks about it much anymore, but I still hear that train whistle in my sleep.  I can still hear them crying out for help.  God forgive all of us who called ourselves Christians, yet did nothing to intervene."

The Bible has forewarned us with the knowledge that the last days will be difficult, dangerous, and violent.  With each passing day, a new story emerges that reminds us of just how unsafe and unstable our world is as we stand in the shadows of the end of the age.  In fact, we seem to have heard such stories so often that the shock value does not register as high as they once did.  However, to think such stories no longer have an impact on our lives would be false.

In Matthew 24:12, Jesus said concerning the last days, “And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.”  The word “iniquity” means lawlessness, rebellion, and wickedness.  The implication is that the more the world runs wild, the greater the risk we face of becoming hard and calloused. 

In simpler terms, when we hear of crime, conflicts, and violence, we have a tendency to close up and go into self-preservation mode.  We are afraid to open the door to those who are strangers.   We stand at a distance to avoid making any eye contact with the homeless.  We keep the doors of churches locked and bolted.  The lines are slowly being blurred between shyness and coldness, silence and indifference, and being guarded and being uncaring. 

I like what A.W. Tozer wrote in his book I Talk Back to The Devil: The Fighting Fervour of the Victorious Christian, “Keep me, Lord, from ever hardening down into the state of being just another average Christian.”  

The moment a child is born, a self-love is firmly enthroned in their hearts. With our children growing up I have noticed it personally. They yell, “My ball!”, “My spoon!”, or “My doll!”  If the child is not taught to share, take turns, or think of others, they will grow into adults who live for self and self alone.  Such hearts become the breeding ground for aggressive, competitive spirits consumed with taking rather than giving.

No matter whom we engage in life, involvement calls for investment and investment implies risk.  Wherever love exists there is always the vulnerability of being hurt.  We have all been used, conned, manipulated, and taken advantage of.  Such experiences in life can leave us bitter and cynical.  It then seems natural to begin seeking means to insulate ourselves from such hurt and disappointment. However, the greater the attempt to keep our hearts unbroken, the more we are becoming unbreakable.

When we talk of the changes in the last many years of the church, we can easily identify the worship styles, leadership styles, and preaching methods.  But, I wonder how many have noticed the dryness in our eyes?  We no longer see tears born out of a sense of desperation.  We are solemn at a time when there is so much which should cause us to weep.

F.B. Meyer wrote, “I believe that if there is one thing which pierces the Master’s heart with unutterable grief it is not the world’s iniquity but the church’s indifference.”  While the darkness may cast shadows and raise fears, it is not the night that brings death, but rather the chilling frost.  Just because life can be hard does not mean we have to be.          

This Lenten season  With all that is happening in our world today, could it be that the Lord is trying to stir us?  The choice is ours to either respond, or sing the round of a chorus just a little louder!.

May God help us to choose the right choice. God Bless you.